hippyscientist

@RCtheSS exactly. I'm sold on where I've been accepted if I get the funding. Like straight away accept if the funding is there because I'm so excited about the school, the lab, the research, the lifestyle all of it. Just please pay me enough to live!!!!

Dude, congrats on all that green in your signature! I'm with you on the financial aid....I was told they're meeting this week to decide...it's almost more nerve wracking than waiting for admissions!!

That's for checks only. If they offer an option to pay via credit card you should be able to pay from your home country. I'm not sure of a work-around if they are only accepting checks but your best option would be to contact the graduate administrator for your program and ask them.

I was only given 2 weeks to decide, and funding decisions haven't even been made yet! I think, just as with everything else in the process, everything varies by school, by college and by department and by program within!

And people say to treat grad school like a job. How many jobs do you apply to and not hear ANYTHING from? I think that's the infuriating part is we pay to be considered by schools and some don't ever communicate with the person they've willingly taken ~$75+ from.

@pterosaur waaaaayyyyy too much love for those puffer fishes!!!

Thanks for explaining! That actually sounds pretty interesting. If I had any reasonable amount of free time I'd look into that haha. @Puffer Fish I'm sorry. If it doesn't work out this time round, there's always next season. You might feel crappy now but these things happen for a reason and it'll all be alright in the end. *hugs*

@RobotBernoulli The UK is one of the few places where a single year masters is prevalent. It's tough, and it's intense. Actually one of my lecturers the other day (he got his PhD in the US) said the UK MSc is the most intense and stressful year of academia. There's more stressful periods during a PhD but for shorter time spans. That filled me with a lot of comfort. I'm regularly pulling 75hr weeks to keep up and it hasn't allowed me to take on the extra research that I wanted to this year. If you can justify costs etc. going to the US I think you'd be better in terms of career and understanding. But I am just one random internet person! FWIW, I chose the UK masters as a bridging year - I knew I wanted to do a PhD but felt I hadn't completed sufficient in my area of interest at undergraduate level, and I also wanted to gain some more research experience before going down the PhD route. It's helped tremendously in PhD applications and I have a much greater sense of what I want to do. I've since applied and been accepted to US schools for a PhD as similarly, I want to end up on the job market there. I also prefer the structure, there's a greater investment in research in my area of interest and it's an excellent experience. I know you weren't asking about PhDs but I sometimes think the reasons are similar - I'm going to the US because there's going to be a longer time period to complete in. Hope that helps clarify and build upon my previous post.

That went straight over my head haha so I don't think you're dumb! I do a lot of "math" but it's all mechanics and/or statistics and not logic stuff.

I'm in a different field to you but I'd chose the US. I'm just finishing up my MSc in the UK and 1 year just doesn't feel sufficient. I feel rushed and that they're trying to cram too much in to a single year. Also if you want to end up in the US better to start building those connections now. The UK has its own advantages but from what you've presented I would go to the US. As a US citizen you'll be eligible to apply for more funding than is usually available to uk citizens and it's surprising how little difference in price there is now. My $.02

I was actually sat at a swim-up bar in Dubai when I had the "lightbulb" moment. I'd just finished working at a holiday resort in Greece as a general lackey - it was great fun but HARD work - and had received an acceptance to do the conversion course to become a physiotherapist in Australia. While I was talking this through with the bar tender, he asked why I wanted to work with old people all day. I realised that I don't have enough of the caring bedside manner to be a practicing physiotherapist, and I was interested in the sports side and I loved the science behind it. When I got home I started researching programs that would allow me to investigate the science behind rehabilitating injuries. The more I thought about it, the more a PhD made sense. It fits my lifestyle, it fits my need to be intellectually challenged, it's fits my passion and it would allow a relatively nomadic lifestyle for a few years if I wanted it. So I applied to US schools, to get more experience living abroad, to work with some of the leaders in my field and I can't believe I'm going! I've never been one driven by money - sure I'd like to make enough to not have to worry about living month to month and to be able to own a house, and at some point raise a family, but for me life is about adventure, knowledge and experiences, and a PhD offers that for me.

Because I can only drive on it for 30 days in the state I'll be going to, and I want to buy a car and will need a US license for insurance.

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny and at least you know where you're going!! I'm used to packing and moving on short notice (I moved countries with just a suitcase at a week's notice, but that didn't need a visa or a new bank account), but it's adding on stress that's not needed right now as my master's is incredibly stressful. Pulling 75hr weeks for that, dealing with family stuff and still waiting on grad school applications is slowly grinding me down. @marycaryne I agree. A deadline needs to be set to inform students by, even a vague deadline would help. It's also frustrating that each department will send out decisions at different times. When I first started this process there were no results on the results page for any of the programs I applied to so it was a sheer guesstimate on when they might start sending decisions. The two schools I've heard from have been fantastic (1a/1r) being very forthcoming with dates and details - the PI at my accepted school even sent me a timetable of internal deadlines so I be less stressed. But the other two schools - zip, nada, nothing, even upon enquiry. I don't think we should accept this as part of the process - clearly some schools are capable of letting applicants know details and timings, so why can't all? I really do hope to be able to see this process from the other side and maybe I'll be educated as to why.

@marycaryne frustrating is the right word for sure. I've been so patient for so long, it's hard when people try to comfort you "oh you'll find out soon". Yes but from "soon" to starting means: I have to get a visa interview appointment, get a visa, sell my stuff here, pack up a box to ship, book flights, start looking at state driving theory, finish my masters (it technically finishes August 19, I'm finishing early - hopefully by the end of July), move to the US, find housing, open a bank account & try to get a credit card somewhere, get a phone, find a place to train, pass the US driving test, register for classes and then start. I know a lot of that is the same for a lot of people but it just seems kinda daunting right now to have such a long list that I can't start on until I have confirmation. Actually typing that out helped, it's less than I thought

The thing I don't understand is, having worked on hiring committees and administrative roles, how it can take so long. When we were hiring, we looked at 150-200 applications and got back to them all within 3 weeks. There were 4 of us on that hiring team. How can grad schools justify the time period? Especially for the programs I applied to. My field is not very large, and per department accepts 2-5 people per discipline. The number of applicants isn't as great as something like business or a medicine program. The departments I applied to probably have close to 100 applications to get through. No way does that take 5 months. Even if it does take 5 months, it wouldn't kill anyone to put a "decisions will be made by mid-March" on a website. The fact is, having had applications in by 10th October, I have had no indication of when I might expect to hear from them. I've emailed an administrator once to enquire when I might expect to hear a decision, not about status or anything, and that was last week as I've reached the end of my tether. Sorry for the rant, I'm sure those on the ad-comms have perfectly justifiable reasons for why the process takes as long as it does, why it costs as much as it does and why we have no communication. I understand that these people are very busy, but I don't think they truly appreciate the stress that accompanies applications. Especially for those of us who may have to pack up and move large distances at relatively short notice. Okay, that evidently needed to be let off my chest. I hope one day to be on the other side, and have many of my current questions answered, because from the business world POV it doesn't make too much sense to me.

I love Young and Hungry but waiting for more seasons to hit Netflix. I've finished my buffy binge so returned to SoA after a break. Man, I forgot how much I love that show and the soundtrack!! This next week is my last week of MSc classes. After that it's just assignments finishing up and research through to end July. WHERE has the time gone? I still feel like I know nothing!!

I'm officially over the 5 month mark for 2 of my applications with no communication from either. I think I've given up on them. It's not fair to applicants. I can understand a 2 month wait, but this is pushing the limits of what is acceptable, especially considering the application fees.

Interesting that you bring this up, I just looked up the list too and ALL the schools I applied to plus the 4 or more I decided I'd apply to next application season if this one doesn't work out are all R1. Guess I don't go for the easy route haha. The one program that has accepted me so far at the start of the process was my "god do I even bother applying there" school. As it turns out, I might have judged prematurely because as my research interests have matured over this year of my MSc I actually think it's going to be the best fit for me. There's a phrase on the lab's facebook page about the lab mentality that 100% matches my own, they seem to go out for beers together and rock climb/socialise together too. I'm getting really excited about being part of that team. JUST. LET. ME. KNOW. ABOUT. FUNDING.

thank you kind sir! Remember if it's meant to happen, there's no time limit. But yes, super frustrating!!!

@katpillow I'm sorry man, but there's still a few more to hear from and it's not over until the fat lady sings!! This is a tough process and it really sucks to get rejected multiple times, but I honestly believe that everything happens for a reason, and if things don't work out this cycle, it's because something better and more attuned to you will come along. Unfortunately life doesn't happen how we want it to, but it makes us better people. Okay, have I lived up to my username sufficiently?

Yay @artsy16 CONGRATULATIONS it definitely eases the panic. @PattiJeane that is awful, I'm so sorry. That is super cruel of that school. I hope you have some good news soon.

I can post in here finally! I got my acceptance today, in the middle of a particularly challenging coding lab. I got quite excited, showed it to my friend sat next to me and the professor came over to see what we were talking about. I told him and he was excited for me. We stopped the lab for a 10 minute break and had some coffee and I had so much excited energy I ended up hop-scotching down the lab Just hoping beyond hope I get the funding now...

Thanks! It came through in the middle of a really difficult coding lab, and I got so excited I forgot what I was doing and ended up hop-scotching down the lab to burn off energy. The technical tutor taking the lab videoed it so I'll probably end up on reddit later! The funding will decide whether I can attend though.

I got my official acceptance email today It's nothing I didn't already know but it makes me feel so happy to have it in writing. Funding gets decided in a week, and they gave me 2 weeks to respond. I'm now going to contact the remaining two schools and see if I can get an idea on when I might hear from them. It's finally starting to happen for me. In other news, I didn't get the easter job I applied for (probably because I messed up the interview) and I think it's a blessing in disguise as I have way too much uni work to be doing.

Is that Penn State by any chance? I STILL haven't heard anything from them. If that's sent in error they should reimburse application costs for the emotional trauma!!! I've had an email from another university giving me my email address and log in to all student portals etc., although I haven't had an acceptance email from them either. I feel your pain!!!